Blog Archives - IRONSTRIKES

Heavenly imagination

2/28/2014

I've been excited about heaven recently. It's kinda strange because I have been preoccupied with looking forward to going there.

This is different than what I have had in the past. I have written about a dream that I had about heaven. I have speculated about my reaction to heaven possibly being similar to how our kittens experience transition from one home to another. I have also considered how people with disabilities may experience heaven. But this time, my thoughts about heaven seem different.

This is not about my frustrations of living in a sinful world. This is not about my frustrations of living in a body that is aging. This is not about my desire to finally be free of my sinful tendencies. This isn't a reaction to the bad news that I read about everyday and wanting Jesus to return to end suffering.

This time, for the past couple of weeks, I have been filled with excitement about the prospect of heaven. I don't know what started this emotion but I am enjoying it. Maybe I spend too much time in my head pontificating about what things could be like. Maybe I'm too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good.

But, I'm just putting this out there.
Heaven is something that gets me really excited.

I don't envision all the imagery found in Revelation.
I don't think about flying around playing harps and acting all righteous.

I see heaven as a place very similar to this world but being at total peace with myself and everyone else.

God's Peace will rule heaven.

I imagine running and not getting tired.
I imagine climbing mountains and not worrying about gravity.

I imagine traveling, visiting, remembering, spending an eternity with those whom I have only read about.

I imagine hearing story after story of God's faithfulness and grandeur.

I imagine meeting people that the world threw away and trashed but are highly prized by God.

I imagine getting to REALLY KNOW people and not worrying about time, expense or image.

I imagine time spent with Jesus.

I imagine times of review of people's lives and seeing where God intervened and nobody knew about it.

I imagine that I will be surprised at how involved God's Holy Spirit has been with us.

I imagine there will be no concept of time.

I imagine...

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Heavenly crowns

2/27/2014

We were in London at the Tower of London site and went to see the Imperial Crown of India (left) among some of the other crowns that are housed among the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

It is such an impressive and grand display of beautiful and priceless artifacts. Something that I will never forget.

What I will also never forget was a sermon by a youth pastor. He was trying to encourage the youth of the church to do what is right. His title of the sermon was "I want a big crown!"  He went into a lot of description of the crown that he wanted to have in eternity and then also spoke of how every time we do a good deed, another jewel is added to the crown.

He said he wanted to be in heaven walking around with a big crown with lots of jewels placed therein.

His biblical support was the "crown of life" and the "crown of righteousness" that is given to those who are steadfast in trial and remain faithful to Jesus.

I recall, thinking later, "where in the world did he get this idea of walking around with a crown and earning jewels?" His scriptural support was lacking but the idea was intriguing. I pondered if what he said was actually true. One of the things that's good about sermons, is that they encourage you to study God's Word to see if what the pastor is saying is truly from God or from his own fanciful ideas.

I was reading in the book of Revelation and came upon chapter four. This chapter talks a little bit about crowns.

Specifically "24 elders" who had crowns.

I imagine if there were 24 individuals, who are called elders, who had crowns, they would probably have very big crowns with lots of jewels. I would imagine of everybody in heaven, they would probably have the biggest and best. After all, they are the top 24 in heaven. They have their own thrones, are dressed in white and rule with God.

But what I read in verse 10 openly contradicted what this pastor had to say. This verse states that the 24 elders lay their crowns at Jesus' feet. So, if we do walk around with crowns, we have clear instructions of what we are to do with them. We are to follow the lead of the 24 elders and lay them at the throne.

So that means, what Isaiah (a man who had a vision of God) says, "our righteousness is as filthy rags."  All the things that we do to make everybody notice us, all the good things that we do, all the things that we do for our own righteousness will be laid at God's throne.

So, where does that leave you and me?

We need to focus on pleasing God and not on pleasing ourselves.
We need not focus on things that make us look righteous.
We need not focus on our eternal reward.

We need to focus on what the 24 elders focus:  "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Heavenly drinking

2/26/2014

Let me tell you about my experience with Jesus at a bar. Would Jesus drink beer or Dr Pepper?

I had been going to a bar for about a year. I would go at the same time every week and in the early evening when there weren't a lot of women there. This bar was one of the tougher ones in the community and was known for having rough characters. However, during the time that I went, it was retired guys and men just getting off the factory day shift.

My activity at this bar had nothing to do with drinking alcohol. I abstain from alcohol, always have and always will. I felt God telling me that He wanted me to go there. I didn't go alone and would always take another Christian friend with me. I knew that it wasn't good to go alone so that if any rumors started, they could be easily squelched.

My church friends and I had garnered a reputation in this bar as not drinking but rather hanging out and talking to the guys that went there. I've noticed that men in bars aren't known for their social skills. There is a lot of just sitting there looking at your drink and watching TV. However, there were times in the conversations where openings to speak about more pressing matters came about. I remember sitting there and one gentleman came over to me and said, "you're one of those preachers that comes in here every week aren't you? Why do you come in here?" I responded, "I'm not a preacher but I am a Christian. I come in here because I could use some friends. I heard that this was a great place to make friends." This conversation wasn't outstanding but it was significant. He came to the realization that there were at least a few Christians who were willing to be with him in a "normal" (his term) environment.

I had a friendship with one man in particular. He wasn't necessarily well-liked in that bar but he was tolerated. I found out that his life was rather troubling and that he had significant physical and emotional challenges. It seemed, over time, that he enjoyed talking with me. He would, even at times, initiate the conversation. I tried talking to him about spiritual things but he typically shrugged them off.

I prayed that God would give me opportunities to make an impact on this man's life. One time, I was in earnest prayer about what God could do with me at the bar, praying in the parking lot before entering. After about 30 minutes of discussion, this one man whom I spoke about in the previous paragraph said that he was gonna call a taxi so that he could go home. I thought to myself, "I wonder if this is one of the opportunities that God has given me to help him?" So, I offered to take him to his home. He complied and as I was driving, I asked where he lived. He started to direct me one way and then said, "I need to go by the carryout to get some beer to take home with me."

I gulped.

I didn't know what to say. I said a quick prayer in my mind: "Help!!!" I felt a peace come over me and was impressed that God wanted me to go ahead and let this man buy beer.

I drove into the carry-out and had them throw the case in the bed of my truck and my friend paid for it and off we went. As I was pulling out of the carry-out, I was hoping that nobody saw me. After all, people may think that I buy and drink beer!

I tried to strike up a conversation with my friend and he said how much he appreciated it that I was giving him a ride home. Yet, he continued to be fairly closed to a spiritual discussion.

After I dropped him off, I went to my church and talked to the associate pastor, a good friend of mine, and told him what happened. He said something that was very comforting, "you prayed for God to give you an opening. God did but not in the way you were thinking. God knew that you were going to that carry-out. God wasn't surprised, just you were."

I don't know what happened to my friend after that. I never saw him again. I heard, a few months later, at the bar, that he had passed away shortly after my last contact with him. He died of liver failure. All of his years of drinking had finally caught up with him.

I'm hopeful that my contact with him was meaningful. I'm hopeful that he came to know Jesus as his Savior and that I was instrumental in helping him reach out to God. However, I won't know until I get to heaven.

I'm hoping that when we get to heaven, there will be a bar there and my friend and I will be at the bar with Jesus, and we will be drinking Dr Pepper. The real stuff with cane sugar, not the caffeine-free diet stuff that I drink now. The good stuff...with greasy cheesy fries.

Beer? Not needed, there are no sorrows to drown in heaven.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Heavenly angels

2/25/2014

I was out riding my motorcycle after having just received terrific news. Karyn just told me that I was going to be a father for the first time. So, I was taking one last spin on my motorcycle around Lake Whatcom. The plan was to sell the motorcycle to help with the new baby expenses.   Being so exuberant, I was probably traveling a bit faster than I should have been, so as I took this one curve the bike laid on its side. There was some gravel on the road that I hadn’t seen so the next thing I know, I am laying on the road with my bent up bike. As I lifted my bike and walked it to the edge of the road, I noticed that my one knee was bleeding badly and I thought I could see my patella thru my jeans.

This part of Lake Whatcom was not very populated. I started to walk to a busier road. On my way a man in a white van pulled up and said, “Hey, do you need a ride to emergency? I saw your bike back a ways.” I told him, “yes, I need to get some help.” I slowly got into the passenger seat and noticed that the man was dressed completely in white, looking like something that a professional painter would wear. As we talked, I tried to look at his face as I leaned forward and he turned his face to the left. He said, “I have a hard time looking at blood.”

I don’t think that I was completely aware because I was in pain and in shock so I think I passed out because he shook me and woke me up once (I don’t remember him touching me).  We were approaching one hospital and he said, “Is this emergency room OK?” I said, “it’s OK but if you don’t mind, would you take me to the other hospital? This one does abortions and I don’t think that’s right.” He promptly said, “yeah, I agree. Let’s go to the other hospital.”  The other hospital was just another five minute drive. As we were going to the other hospital, I said, “do you have a business card so that I can write you a thank you?” He said, “nope. I don’t use business cards.” I said, “what’s your name then?” He said, “you don’t need to know my name.”  He stopped at the emergency room and I slowly got out of his van. I hobbled a few feet and turned to wave and the van was nowhere to be seen.

Second story

We (Karyn & I and both of our sons) had been missionaries in Ecuador and returned back to our former church and in less than a year moved to another community. We purchased a house that was near an elementary school and our boys liked to ride their bikes around the playground in the summer.

One son was not happy about the move and was feeling a bit down about life and was riding his bike alone at the playground one afternoon.   Suddenly, he came running back to the house, cheerful, and said, “hey Dad, I made a newfriend! There’s a boy up at the playground who said he was with me in Ecuador!” I said, “that’s cool, someone we know from Ecuador!” We rushed back up to the playground to find this boy and he was gone. My son described him as a boy his own age and size and was very friendly.  I said, “if you see him again, have him come over to our house so that we can meet him.” My son went up to the playground several times over the next few days and he never saw that boy again.

We have talked about these encounters with family and friends and most come to the same conclusion that I have. Most believe that they were encounters with angels.

Whaddyathink?

BE HOLY.
BE AMAN.

Heavenly dreaming

2/24/2014

On an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, one of the participants made an interesting comment. His home had been almost completely redesigned. When he walked into his new house, he said, "I am here and can't believe that this is really for me, then I realize, it really is for me."   His words rang in my ears as something I could see myself saying when I reach heaven. I imagine when I arrive at heaven I won't be able to believe it is my permanent home. However, C.S. Lewis states in his book The Problem of Pain, "Your place in heaven will seem to be made for you and you alone, because you were made for it -- made for it stitch by stitch as a glove is made for a hand.”

Let me tell you about a dream I once had. In my dream, I was walking and came upon a big wooden gate. Just as I stopped to admire the gate, a man opened it from the inside and said, "Hi , Dale. Come in, let me show you around." He took me into this beautiful city and then up to two large doors. He opened the doors into his home that had a huge living room with large picture windows that overlooked a very calm sea of glass.  His furniture was very regal looking and quite lavish and opulent. I have no words to describe what I saw. He said, "you don't remember me do you?" I said, "you do look familiar but no I'm not sure." He responded, "I'm Jimmy from ...." All of a sudden I recognized him and then I woke up.

When I woke up, I was unsure what this dream was about. I believe for the most part, that dreams are just random thoughts/experiences thrown together and your brain tries to make sense of it so it ties everything together in a dream.

However, I do believe that some dreams can be from God because He wants you to know something. I think this dream was from God and I am grateful.  I am grateful that God gave me a chance to see heaven. It was wonderful and I was not there very long but I do want to go back.

But the best thing was meeting Jimmy. Jimmy was a young man from my professional history that I attempted to help. Jimmy had developmental disabilities and was a very confused, scared and angry person at times. He would assault people when he got scared and then would take off running. I remember one time chasing him and he was so fast, that he got away from me. (BTW - I don't know what I would have done if I caught him. Jimmy was definitely bigger and stronger and faster than me.)

What was the best thing was that Jimmy was no longer in a body with limitations.  He was in heaven! His body, mind and soul were in perfect condition. And... he had been looking for me. It makes me wonder what kind of relationship Jimmy and I will have in heaven.

I think I'm gonna challenge him to a foot race....

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Sunday Meditation

2/23/2014

Unexpectedly, you came back to see,
If I'd was waiting, like i promised long before.
Your shadow filled the room, the music changed it's tune,
When i saw you, you were standing at the door.

Like summer snow, you were an unexpected sight.
A blazing sun, you were shining in the night,
When i really should have known, that you'd be coming home.

I waited patiently, but i found it hard to see,
If you were coming, why was there such a long delay.

At times i thought you lied, or else you would have tried,
To let me know that you were coming home today.

Like summer snow, it falls around me in the cold.
I can hear the echoes, of the warnings i was told.
That i should know, that you'd be coming home.
Like summer snow, you were an unexpected sight.
A blazing sun, you came shining in the night,
When i really should have known, that you'd be coming home.

Unexpectedly, you came back to see.

This entry is called Summer Snow by Matthew Ward. You can hear the song by going to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DHwHZMIFTk

MARANATHA!

An honest confession

2/22/2014

I have been exposed to pornography since a very young age. Elementary school to be exact, and I still remember that first movie I was shown by an older kid that lived on my block, and I still remember the name of the individual who showed it to me! AND WHO WAS THERE WITH ME! (Crazy!)

Over the years I had encounters with female and male partners up until High School, when I started dating a girl in the 10th grade. My worldview of love, relationships, and sex were so distorted because of pornography, that I eventually ended the relationship out of pure boredom and not feeling sexually satisfied with that individual, whom of course over the years I would still reach out to for "hook ups", in which case she would leave her home over an hour away, leaving her HUSBAND, and come to be with me for 20 minutes to 30 minutes, then drive home.

As Paul says in Romans 7:24 - I’m a miserable human being. Who will deliver me from this dead corpse? (CEB). I was a horribly depraved individual who only wanted to fulfill my fantasies with whoever would give it to me. It didn't help that just after High School, I joined a band and became the lead guitar player. I can still remember the names of every one of those individuals I had encounters with. I feel disgusting, mortified, and shameful.

Eventually I met my wife, and I quit the band while we were dating, but never came out to her about my problem. During our marriage counseling, I'd fill out the booklets how I WANTED to be. But not who I actually WAS. I deceived my wife from the get go.

It wasn't until October of 2012, when I walked into the doors of a Celebrate Recovery, hosted by my own church, did I come out about my problem. I literally felt the Holy Spirit pushing me to get up to that microphone, take a 24 hour chip, and say "Hi, my name is Bob, and I struggle with lust and pornography." From there on out, I hit my knees in prayer, confessed my sin to the Lord, and asked for his forgiveness, which I was so unaware that he had already given me by His sacrifice on the cross, and shed blood.

Just a few months later, in January of 2013, I was baptized, and gave my life, and heart fully to the Lord, but it has been a rollercoaster of a struggle. With each relapse, I learned more and more about the grace of God, and the need for continual prayer, as well as communication with my accountability partners and sponsors (I have two, and one struggles with same sex attraction).

Currently I am almost 30 days clean, and that is not without incredibly tough battles. Especially when I am not going to the Lord immediately in prayer, and thinking I can do things by my own strength and will power. It's only when I pray with all of my heart, that I truly feel protected, and free from the choking grasps of my sin.

This post was written by anonymous. Please pray for him that he will continue to seek God's plan and direction and that he would live a life of honesty and integrity.

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Things are not what they seem

2/21/2014

The reason we enjoy fairy tales—more than enjoy them—the reason we identify with them in some deep part of us is because they rest on two great truths: The hero really has a heart of gold and the beloved really possesses hidden beauty. I hope you've had a glimpse of God's good heart. But what about the second great truth—could we possess hidden greatness? It seems too good to be true.

Remember, the theme of veiled identity runs through all great stories. As Buechner reminds us, "Not only does evil come disguised in the world of the fairy tale but often good does too." The heroines and heroes capture our heart because we see long before they ever do their hidden beauty, courage, greatness. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White—they're not simple wenches after all. The beast and the frog—they're actually princes. Aladdin is "the diamond in the rough." If the narrative of the Scriptures teaches us anything, from the serpent in the Garden to the carpenter from Nazareth, it teaches us that things are rarely what they seem, that we shouldn't be fooled by appearances.

Your evaluation of your soul, which is drawn from a world filled with people still terribly confused about the nature of their souls, is probably wrong. As C. S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory:

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. . . . There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked to a mere mortal."

This excerpt is taken from the book, The Sacred Romance, by John Eldredge

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

A house divided

2/20/2014

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. (Ps. 147:3)

Yes, we have all been wounded in this battle. And we will be wounded again. But something deeper has also happened to us than mere wounds.

I expect that all of us at one time or another have said, "Well, part of me wants to, and another part of me doesn't." You know the feeling—part of you pulled one direction, part of you the other. Part of me loves writing and genuinely looks forward to a day at my desk. But not all of me. Sometimes I'm also afraid of it. Part of me fears that I will fail—that I am simply stating what is painfully obvious, or saying something vital but incoherent. I'm drawn to it, and I also feel ambivalent about it. Come to think of it, I feel that way about a lot of things. Part of me wants to go ahead and dive into friendship, take the risk. I'm tired of living alone. Another part says, Stay away—you'll get hurt. Nobody really cares anyway. Part of me says, Wow! Maybe God really is going to come through for me. Another voice rises up and says, You are on your own.

Don't you feel sometimes like a house divided?

Take your little phobias. Why are you afraid of heights or intimacy or public speaking? All the discipline in the world wouldn't get you to go skydiving, share something really personal in a small group, or take the pulpit next Sunday. Why do you hate it when people touch you or criticize you? And what about those little "idiosyncrasies" you can't give up to save your life? Why do you bite your nails? Why do you work so many hours? Why do you get irritated at these questions? Something in you "freezes" when your dad calls—what's that all about? You clean and organize; you demand perfection—did you ever wonder why?

This post is taken from the book, Waking the Dead, by John Eldredge

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.

Ten Principles for successful fathering

2/19/2014

While practices help us learn the how's of successful fatherhood, principles provide the framework for our fathering. Principles are the underlying philosophy, the way we think about our important role. And we way we think and feel about fatherhood frames our behavior, our responses and our attitudes.

The Emotional Bank Account. Dr. Stephen Covey, one of the professors in my graduate school program many years ago and now one of the most influential leadership gurus in the world, taught me the principle of the Emotional Bank Account before I was ever a father. The basics of the emotional bank account involve making deposits of trust and faith in the lives of our children. The emotional bank account is about communication, love, loyalty and integrity.

The Most Important Gift is Time. We can give our children things that money can buy: video games, iPod's, designer clothes and the hottest mountain bike. But nothing substitutes for our time and attention. Every father struggles with keeping work, self and family in balance; some seem to be able to strike that balance and avoid challenges like workaholism. We have also found that not all time is equal. There is a difference between quality time and quantity time. But my experience suggests that it is tough to have quality time without enough quantity.

Teaching Responsibility. Fathers are in a unique position in a child's life to teach responsibility and the value of work. We teach it by example by keeping our commitments, by putting family first and by enduring hard times. We also teach by giving children stewardship and demanding accountability, whether it is with chores, school work or other aspects of their young lives. Helping children learn to be responsible as children and later as adults is among our most critical roles.

Use your Golden Sword. Family relationship expert Gary Smalley teaches the analogy of the two swords. The silver sword reflects our positional power, of the power we use in our workday world. The golden sword is the sword of personal power, that works best at home. Trying to use positional power with the children is dangerous and often has unintended negative results. But using the gold sword of personal power, described with words like "warmth, sensitivity, dependability, determination, genuine compassion, affection, and caring" has great application at home. So take off the silver sword and strap on the golden sword when you walk through the front door at home.

Walk the Talk. A father who is a "Do as I say, not as I do" kind of dad will never have the respect of his children, or anyone else for that matter. Walking the talk--being what you want your children to be--is a symbol of integrity. But it requires personal discipline and sacrifice. Being a man of principle and living congruently with those principles is an essential element of successful fatherhood.

Consistency. Fathers are best when their approach is predictable and consistent. Children get a strong message when fathers are firm and solid in their approach. Being a "marshmallow" with your children is easier, but it hurts them in the long run. Being fair and consistent in discipline is important. When a father makes a rule, it should be enforced. Limits that are set and then moved are not limits at all, with either a child or with a parent.

High Expectations. Successful fathers set high but realistic expectations for themselves and for their children. And then they work together to achieve those expectations. They read together so that they learn how to learn. They work together to achieve important ends. And they celebrate their accomplishments and learn from their mistakes.

Expressions of Love. Fathers who have great relationships with their children have learned to express love in meaningful ways. They tailor their expressions to the way each child receives love. They are gentle but firm even when disciplining, and then show afterward an increase in love. They find little ways to express love, and they do it every day when the kids are living at home.

Mutual Respect. When a father shows respect for his children and others, they are more likely to respect him. Keeping expectations clear, being even handed and level headed, and respecting children's self-worth all help breed an atmosphere of mutual respect. And when a father respects their child's mother, regardless of whether they are married or divorced, children learn to respect him more completely.

Making Values Count. It is not enough for a father to teach behavior; successful fathers also teach values. They have a rich spiritual life (however they define that) and connect to nature and timeless values. They respect womanhood, they are honest, the live by standards of moral integrity. Great fathers help pass on these values to their children rather than leaving them valueless in a world where values seem to shift with the sands of time.

This post was written by Wayne Parker. The original post can be found here: http://fatherhood.about.com/od/succeedingasafather/a/principles.htm?nl=1

BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.